Tonight I took Jenny on a surprise date to Jazz in the Atrium at Dallas Museum of Art. It’s a free jazz show from 6:00-8:00 PM every Thursday. We toured the modern art museum (some weird stuff in there!), got dinner at the cafe, and enjoyed the fabulous voice of Texas native Rosana Eckert, a smooth and engaging alto who also teaches at UNT’s music school. Her talented band easily kept up with her. I like live jazz partly because it acknowledges individual talent without deifying any one performer like pop concerts can do. In jazz culture/tradition, although the singer or band leader has the microphone, each performer takes turns in the spotlight with solo-type work, often ad-libbed, while the others keep the rhythm softly or stop playing altogether to focus attention on the soloist – the pianist, the saxophonist, the guitarist, the drummer, the percussionist, the trumpeter. The singer/bandleader also introduces each performer to the audience, often repeatedly throughout the show. Contrast this with a Britney Spears concert (poor Britney…I admit that I like some of her music, but I hope she gets real help soon) where the focus is on BRITNEY, and all the dancers, lights, musicians, makeup artists, roadies, etc. are there to make her look good. Thousands of preteen girls pay good money to worship her. Jazz isn’t about image; it’s about the music – rhythm, passion, texture, virtuosity, sweat, and dreams.